Re: NT Slaughters UNIX?

["Norm" <normanmo@clark.net>]

On Mon, 5 Jan 1998 15:41:44 -0500 (EST), Matthew Benjamin wrote:

>The overwhelming trend in the press is reporting on the displacement,
>replacement, or whatever of UNIX by Windows NT.  


     This is a prime example of why I've been saying the industry press
has been guilty of complicity in M$'s rise to market dominance.  It's
difficult to say whether it's more the result of ignorant and/or lazy
reporters or if there's a definite conflict of interest due to M$
advertising dollars, but it's been quite obvious for years that they've
been onboard the M$ juggernaut.

     Until very recently it was extremely rare to see anything in the
trade rags that was more than slightly critical of M$.  If you were to
place a product review next to a M$ press release too often you'd see
that what was billed as a review was only a paraphrased copy of the
press release.  In other words the trade rags have been allowing M$ to
write their own reviews.

     Although the computer industry is often refered to as a 'hot bed
of innovation' in reality it's composed more of sheep than anything
else, and this fact isn't lost on M$.  Up to now the job for the trade
rags has been to plant the perception that NT is everywhere, and if you
want to be doing what 'everyone else' is you're going to have to start
running NT.  The "everyone's running NT" mantra began long before
anyone actually *was* running NT, but in an industry comprised mostly
of followers this marketing strategy has worked rather well.  Although
the "NT is everywhere" mantra is still a lie it's closer to the truth
than it use to be...and they can't understand why I cancelled all my
trade rag subscriptions long ago ;-).

>
>I found this graph, from the merged UNIX Review and Windows NT Systems,
>interesting:
>
>
>http://www.unixnt.com/9711/9711sta3.htm
>
>
>It would seem that UNIX vendors have plenty of opportunity...but they
>are obviously not getting their message out, whatever it is.


     The problem is that no matter how well it's doing the trade rags
just aren't interested, not to mention it would run contrary to their
NT PR campaign.


 ...Cheers,

 ...Norm

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